Transthoracic echocardiography in Estrela Mountain dogs: reference values for the breed

Of 100 Estrela Mountain dogs, 74 were examined to obtain echocardiographic reference values for the breed. The influence of bodyweight, age and sex on different echocardiographic parameters was studied using either analysis of variance or regression analysis. Statistically significant differences were found between sex and heart rate as well as interventricular septal thickness at end-systole and left ventricular internal dimension at end-diastole. A statistically significant linear correlation was also found between several parameters and (1) age (mean arterial pressure, left ventricular internal dimension at end-systole, fractional shortening, circularity index in systole, aortic valve velocity time integral, pulmonic valve velocity time integral and mitral valve E wave peak velocity), (2) weight (left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-diastole and end-systole, end-diastolic volume index, left atrium diameter, aortic valve peak velocity and mitral valve E wave deceleration time), (3) sex and age (left ventricle end-diastolic volume), and (4) sex and weight (aortic root diameter and pulmonic valve peak velocity). Reference values for the breed are presented, as well as dispersion graphics for selected parameters, based on a regression equation.     

Peanut cake can replace soybean meal in supplements for lactating cows without affecting production

Tropical Animal Health and Production - This study evaluated the total replacement of soybean meal with peanut cake in the concentrate supplement of lactating cows grazing. Eight crossbred 5/8...     

Supplementation strategies for Nellore female calves in creep feeding to improve the performance: nutritional and metabolic responses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementation strategy on performance, nutritional and metabolic characteristics of Nellore suckling female calves, on grazing Urochloa decumbens during the rainy-dry transition period. Forty-four Nellore female calves, averaging 147.6?±?1.34 kg (4 months), were used. A single supplement 20% of crude protein of dry matter was provided, consisting of daily supplement at 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, or 0.6% of body weight. A positive linear effect (P?<?0.05) on final body weight and average weight gain of female calves was observed with increased supplementation. Supplementation increased consumption, in kilograms per day, of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), digested dry matter, and total digestible nutrients (TDN), all calculated as % of dry matter. There was no effect of supplementation on the consumption in kilograms per day of neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (apNDF) (P?>?0.05). Supplementation increased, in a quadratic way, the total apparent digestibility coefficient of DM, OM, CP, apNDF, and TDN (P?<?0.05). There was no effect of supplementation (P?>?0.05) on non-esterified fatty acid concentrations. There was a positive linear effect (P?<?0.05) of supplementation on insulin concentrations. In this study, it is concluded that linearly increasing the feeding level of a supplement with 20% crude protein (% of DM) in the range of 0.2–0.6% of body weight improves the performance, nutritional and metabolic characteristics of the animals, considering these pasture characteristics.     

Effect of Auditory Stimulation During Early Development in Puppy Testing of Future Police Working Dogs

The aim of this study was to determine if the use of auditory stimulation during early development stages of young puppies, using a variety of sounds such as music, radio talk shows, and ambient noise, that included car noises, sirens, and gunshots, could affect the results of early puppy testing of future police working dogs. Sixty-seven puppies at 7 weeks of age were submitted to a 9-situation test and their results analyzed. The sample comprised 34 males and 33 females, from 4 different breeds/crosses (27 German Shepherd Dog, 19 Belgian Malinois Shepherd Dog, 7 Dutch Shepherd Dog, and 14 animals of a cross of German Shepherd Dog with Belgian Malinois Shepherd Dog), representing 12 litters. Puppies were divided in 2 groups, G1 (n?=?46) and G2 (n?=?21), with G1 being submitted only to the standard socialization protocol in use in the Grupo de Intervenção Cinotécnico while puppies in G2, beside the standard socialization protocol, were also presented with auditory stimulation throughout the day, particularly during playtime and meal time. Significant differences were observed in some situations between groups, with puppies in G1 achieving better scores on this specific test, which aims to access a puppy's level of interaction with humans, reaction to manipulations, and reaction to different environmental stimulus. No differences were found between sexes but some differences between breeds were found, suggesting familial effects on noise reaction. Further studies, involving a greater number of puppies and litters, and that would also include noise exposure quantification, behavioral, and physiological assays are required to confirm these findings. It will also be of interest to evaluate if the results obtained as a young puppy have any connection with future adult performance.     

Infectivity of seropositive dogs, showing different clinical forms of leishmaniasis, to Lutzomyia longipalpis phlebotomine sand flies

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a growing zoonosis with an increasing number of new cases and a rapid geographical spreading of the disease. In the present study, a canine survey was carried out in the city of Montes Claros (320,000 inhabitants), an endemic area of American visceral leishmaniasis in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total number of 4795 dogs were examined by serology, which showed a rate of seropositivity of 5%. Isoenzymatic analysis confirmed Leishmania infantum chagasi as the local aetiological agent of CVL. Canine tissues were assayed for the presence of Leishmania parasite DNA using different techniques. The infectivity of asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic and symptomatic seropositive dogs was tested by xenodiagnosis using laboratory reared Lutzomyia longipalpis. Rates of infection of 5.4%, 5.1% and 28.4% were found for the phlebotomine sand flies that fed in asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic and symptomatic dogs, respectively. Our results indicate that, under experimental conditions, symptomatic dogs are about four times more infective to VL vectors than oligosymptomatic or asymptomatic animals. The lower infectivity rates of dogs displaying any of the last two clinical forms of leishmaniasis, however, must be taken into account in the epidemiology of CVL.     

Plasma Antimullerian Hormone as a Predictor of Ovarian Antral Follicular Population in Bos indicus (Nelore) and Bos taurus (Holstein) Heifers

In Bos taurus cattle, antimullerian hormone (AMH) has been demonstrated to have a high degree of correlation with ovarian antral follicle count and the number of healthy follicles and oocytes. To document the correlation between the plasma concentration of AMH and follicular number in Bos indicus and Bos taurus heifers, Nelore (Bos indicus, n = 16) and Holstein heifers (Bos taurus, n = 16) had their ovarian follicular waves synchronized. After synchronization, ovarian antral follicular population (AFP) was evaluated three times at 60‐day (d) intervals (T‐120 d, 120 days before plasma AMH determination; T‐60 d, 60 days before; and T0, at the time of plasma AMH determination). The plasma AMH concentration was positively correlated with the number of ovarian follicles on the day of the follicular wave emergence in Bos indicus (Nelore) and Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers at each evaluation time (p < 0.05). The AFP was higher in Bos indicus (Nelore) than in Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers (p < 0.05). Similarly, the AMH concentration was higher in Bos indicus (Nelore) than in Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers (p < 0.0001). When heifers were classified as to present high or low AFP according to the mean of the AFP within each genetic group, high‐AFP heifers presented a greater (p < 0.0001) AMH concentration than low‐AFP heifers, regardless of the genetic group. In conclusion, the AFP is positively correlated with plasma AMH concentration in both Bos indicus (Nelore) and Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers. Furthermore, Bos indicus (Nelore) heifers presented both greater plasma AMH concentrations and AFP than Bos taurus (Holstein) heifers.     

Effect of tepoxalin on renal function and hepatic enzymes in dogs exposed to hypotension with isoflurane

ObjectiveTo evaluate the possible renal and hepatic toxicity of tepoxalin in dogs exposed to hypotension during isoflurane anesthesia.Study designProspective, randomized experimental study.AnimalsTwenty adult mixed-breed dogs, weighing 18.8 ± 2.8 kg.MethodsThe animals received 10 mg kg^?1 tepoxalin orally 2 hours before the anesthetic procedure (PRE; n = 6), or 30 minutes after anesthesia (POST; n = 6), along with a control group (CON; n = 8), which were only anesthetized. The PRE and POST groups also received the same dose of tepoxalin for 5 days post-procedure. All dogs were anesthetized with propofol and maintained with isoflurane and the end-tidal isoflurane (Fe’Iso) was increased until mean arterial pressure decreased to 50–60 mmHg. These pressures were maintained for 60 minutes. Heart rate, arterial pressures and Fe’Iso were recorded at 0, 10 and every 10 minutes up to 60 minutes of hypotension. Blood gases, pH, electrolytes and bleeding time were analyzed before and at 30 and 60 minutes of hypotension. Renal and hepatic changes were quantified by serum and urinary biochemistry and creatinine clearance.ResultsSerum concentrations of alanine amino transferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and σ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr), and urinary output, urinary Cr, Cr clearance, and GGT:Cr ratio remained stable throughout the evaluations. During the anesthetic procedure there were no important variations in the physiological parameters. No side effects were observed in any of the groups.Conclusions and clinical relevanceTepoxalin did not cause significant effects on renal function or cause hepatic injury in healthy dogs exposed to hypotension with isoflurane, when administered pre- or postanesthetic and continued for five consecutive days.     

Rapid and extensive surface changes near Titan's equator: evidence of April showers

Although there is evidence that liquids have flowed on the surface at Titan's equator in the past, to date, liquids have only been confirmed on the surface at polar latitudes, and the vast expanses of dunes that dominate Titan's equatorial regions require a predominantly arid climate. We report the detection by Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem of a large low-latitude cloud system early in Titan's northern spring and extensive surface changes (spanning more than 500,000 square kilometers) in the wake of this storm. The changes are most consistent with widespread methane rainfall reaching the surface, which suggests that the dry channels observed at Titan's low latitudes are carved by seasonal precipitation.     

Global phylogeography of the smooth hammerhead shark: Glacial refugia and historical migration patterns

1. Extreme climate changes during the Cenozoic Era strengthened different biogeographical barriers that decreased the connectivity among populations, triggering lineage diversification of different species worldwide.
2. The mitochondrial DNA control region was employed to explore the phylogeography of Sphyrna zygaena, a globally distributed species threatened by unsustainable, illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries triggered by the international shark fin trade. It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN Red List and its trade is regulated by CITES Appendix II.
3. Only 13 haplotypes were found with low genetic diversity levels (hd = 0.686 ± 0.014; π = 0.00206 ± 0.00004) compared with other species of the Sphyrnidae family. The species has a very strong phylogeographic population structure among the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans (Φ_ST = 0.79132). Worldwide, there are six distinct populations with some haplotype sharing.
4. These populations are probably connected by a stepping-stone dispersal of a small number of migrants per generation from the Indo-Pacific towards the Atlantic. Modelling suggests that S. zygaena diverged into two lineages around 6.96 million years ago which have been isolated in glacial refuges in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans; and after deglaciation, a population expansion probably permitted secondary contact.
5. Conservation plans to establish differentiated management units should be adopted in each of the identified populations. Among these, the Eastern Central Atlantic and West Indo-Pacific are the most important areas for the species considering the historical migration routes that act as a bridge connecting the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans while the Gulf of Guinea connects the Atlantic populations. Still, further studies are required to know if these populations are also linked with nursery areas for the species.
6. The results herein can help to delimit the main evolutionarily significant units to implement effective policies to establish differentiated management units as starting points to genetic monitoring programmes for Sphyrna zygaena.

     

Assessment of the metabolic,protein, energy,and liver profiles of lambs finished in a feedlot and receiving diets containing groundnut cake

Forty-five crossbred Dorper × Santa Inês lambs were selected to assess the effect of replacing soybean meal by groundnut cake metabolic profile and histopathological evaluation of the kidney and liver tissues. The animals were 5 months old on average with a 24.5?±?5.3 kg initial body weight which were maintained fed in feedlot with groundnut cake (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 %) as the replacement for soybean meal. Confinement lasted 84 days, and on the last day, the animals were fasted and slaughtered. A completely randomized design with five treatments and nine repetitions was used. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein of each animal to evaluate the metabolic, protein, energy, and liver profiles of lambs. No effect was observed on protein, energy, or enzymatic profiles, which remained within the normal range for sheep. A histopathological examination was performed, and no deleterious effects from groundnut cake were observed in the liver or kidney tissues. Groundnut cake as a replacement for soybean meal can be used as an alternative protein source up to 100 % because it does not affect the metabolic, protein, and energy profiles or the liver and kidney functions of the growing sheep for slaughter.